The Return of the Mammon Clan
by G3rMan
Summary: Once, there was a Fifth Great Maou of the Mammon clan. For many hundred years, the exiled family was thought to have become extinct, lost to the sands of time. Now, the matriarch has unleashed her offspring to carry out her plans and prepare for their triumphant return to the 72 pillars. Enter, Naruto of the Mammon clan. His first stop, the town of Kuoh, to expand his peerage.


The Return of Mammon

Chapter 1

* * *

"My son, approach."

Within a castle tower, the cobblestone interior bathed in crimson light, a young man stood within a throne room of sorts. Of average build and height, what stood out most about him was the stark contrast his golden blonde head of hair offered in comparison to the dwelling's décor, made mostly of sharp and vile things twisted in unnatural directions and covered in what could easily pass as blood.

He acknowledged the order with a curt nod, his body bending forward. Blue eyes flickered toward the throne, tinged with the shade of a robin's egg.

Before him, a throne of blackened claws dominated the middle of the room with its presence. One other person was present and her soft behind sat naked upon the seat with no complaint. Tomato red hair cascaded down her back and fell upon the black spikes, offering her lithe body a soft cushion.

"Mother..."

The young man could not help but track his eyes across the matriarch's supple, white skin. Her voluptuous breasts were hidden behind just a few thin locks of hair. The idle motion of her crossed legs shifting from one side to the other served as a distraction he could not simply ignore.

In his mind, he imagined she teased him like that on purpose.

Kushina, ignorant to her son's vivid imagination, shifted comfortably in her seat. Today was a joyous day, and she had no intention of squandering it. It was finally time for her son to make his first trip to the human realm, and how anxious she was for him to start. Too long had they been forced to hide themselves away from the other devils, in the corner of the world where no one would pay attention to.

It was time for their clan to return to greatness, and her son would be the one to bring them back on the right path. She had waited so long for this moment that she had to bite her tongue to cull her excitement.

"Naruto, you know what you must do. Don't you?"

It was more of a rhetorical question than anything. She had been preparing them for the past few years. Her son knew what was at risk, more than anyone.

"Yes, mother." Naruto shifted uncomfortably. "I take it the preparations for living have been made?"

"Of course." She waived his concerns. "Your things have been packed?"

A simple nod was her reply. There really was little else to say. Pleasantries aside, she knew her son was stalling for time. He had never left her sight since he was born, and no doubt he had secretly detested the contents of the day's itinerary. But, just as he was weaned from her milk, he would learn to live without her in the same home.

"Very well then." She waved her hand and a magic circle appeared beneath his feet. "Are you ready?"

Naruto took another look around what had become a very common, boring sight for his relatively young life. As much as it would pain him to leave, the excitement of traveling to a new realm was not something lost on him. If his mission would bring happiness to his mother, then he would complete it without fail. When his father died, it fell to him to protect the family and see his mother's desire come to fruition.

No one would stop the rise of the Mammon, as long as he was still alive.

"Mother, before I go..." He struggled to express his desires to her.

As a devil and a noble, he was raised to make clear his wants and needs and even take whatever it was that pleased him. The only one he could not express his will to was his mother, who ironically taught him everything he would need to make his wishes come true. Somehow, she had never once acknowledged him past that of an heir, and perhaps a tool to be used.

"Mm..." Kushina shifted on the throne, pondering her son's hidden request. "This just won't do, will it?"

Then, she rose from the throne and began to make her approach. Each step was even with the other as his mother showed off the royal etiquette she was raised with. More noticeable was each step she took caused her sizable bust to sway and slap the skin beneath.

Her arms wrapped around his neck, cradling his body in her grasp. With just a touch, the resistance in his body gave way and he fell into the hold. As if she were a fragile piece of art, his arms were slow to wrap about her waist.

"There, my child." One of her hands forcefully grasped his hand and placed it on her hip. "One last embrace before I let you go."

"..." Naruto was muffled as he was buried into the crook of her neck, inhaling the sweet scent of her perfume.

He felt something wet pressed gently against his cheek.

_Mother is kissing me?!_

It was too much to bear. He was so close, yet so far. The stimulation stunned him into inaction, and he was slowly wrapped around his mother's finger.

"I have one last gift for you, before you leave me." She pushed away, allowing them to have some breathing space.

Kushina held up the palm of her hand, as if to offer something to him. A small blast of energy erupted, and two chess pieces came into being. One was a blood red king piece, and the other a opalescent white pawn.

After only a moment of existence, the pawn transformed into the shape of a bishop, then a knight, a rook, and then a queen. It continued to switch between shapes at random. Naruto had difficulty identifying just what it was he was looking at.

"For you, my son." She thrust her palm out toward him, and the pieces gravitated toward his chest. "Two evil pieces: a king for yourself, and a mutation piece I obtained some time ago."

Kushina narrowed her eyes and for the first time since the beginning of their talk appeared to be genuinely concerned.

"Do not waste their power on weaklings. You will only have one chance to use it."

He could do nothing but hold his chest and feel the power emanating from the artifacts. The trust his mother gave him to hold onto such things meant she was no longer willing to hold back on him. There was no turning back, for either of them.

"My dear Naruto, please come back soon."

A magic circle appeared beneath him again as crimson light covered his vision. In the middle of the embrace, his mother had summoned another circle and sent him through. Now, he found himself hurtling through space and time with the portal to his home growing more and more distant.

His mother had given him the tools. Now it was his turn to show he knew how to use them.

* * *

Atop a building's roof, Naruto looked down upon the city his mother had sent him to. Set within a valley, it was the very model of peace and seclusion. The central cog was the human academy, named after the town of Kuoh. It must have been a school day, as he saw many humans the same age as him in their school uniforms heading toward the city center.

_The damn sun is going to make living here a lot more annoying._

The sun was sweltering hot, even after he had changed into the school blazer and matching pants. He had no idea how the humans could handle that kind of heat. The rays of light beat down on him and sapped all the energy in his body. It would definitely take some getting used to, and he could already tell the night was going to be his best friend.

That was good, considering his objective here was focused on not attracting unwanted attention. Until he had followers or at least some powerful friends, not even the shadows were not going to be safe for him to roam in.

_Just have to keep my eyes on the prize._

The faster he completed his objectives, the faster he could return to his mother's side. If that was not enough to spur him forward, his personal goals aligned well with Kushina's wishes. His mother always told him the Mammon were well known for wanting more than they could have: sometimes for better, but often for worse. He planned to turn his family's curse around, one battle at a time.

Him being sent to the town of Kuoh was not by chance, either. It was a well known fact throughout the Underworld that this place held great significance for all three of the major factions. That meant that, apart from other devils, he would be dealing with both variants of angels: fallen and otherwise.

But, he could care less about how politics boiled down between the three groups. He was raised as one of the Extra Demons, after all. Ousted, voluntarily or otherwise by the current Devil government, the Mammon were among those who avoided the 72 pillars at all costs. If his mission were successful, however, his mother hoped their name would return to the forefront of devil society.

Naruto leaped down onto the street below and joined the crowd headed for the school grounds. Humans were the treasures and lifeblood that kept the three factions going after the Great War. They were the primary reason why Naruto had come to Kuoh in the first place. For if the Mammon were to return, they would need influence and the easiest way for a devil to gain influence was through martial strength.

Sacred Gears, artifacts of power only born to those with human blood in their veins, were the key to gaining any kind of power in the world. Angels, Fallen Angels, and Devils all were attracted in some way to that power and had found ways to incorporate these valuable humans into their ranks. At least with the devils, they had created the evil piece system that Naruto was now a part of with the king piece embedded inside of him.

Though he only had one other piece to use for now, with time he could grow out his peerage to span the entire set. To grow and nurture that family was Naruto's goal, and it worked well with his mother's desires of total domination. If they were going to have any chance at returning from the outskirts of society, they would need a strong group of followers at their back.

And so, Naruto began his hunt for the strongest of humans within the grounds of Kuoh Academy. Known to host the most gifted of humans, he had high hopes for what he would find inside.

Unfortunately, he was quickly disappointed when he saw a group of boys being beaten senseless by a crowd of young women. Screams and shouts hinted that the culprits had been found peeping on the girl's locker room. If that was the kind of resource pool he was looking at, things were grim.

Naruto continued with the crowd and found himself inside the school building as the bell began to ring for the first series of classes. Inside, the floor was a checkerboard tile and the building reeked of grandiose western architecture. A distinct female scent could be felt throughout the school, and he could tell they were the gender that dominated the population.

There was a feeling in the back of his head that he was being watched. With a few cautious glances, he took in his surroundings in an attempt to locate the source of his discomfort.

There, two young women on the second floor balcony overlooking the lobby.

One leaned against the railing with brown hair cut short, away from her bespectacled eyes. The other was a stunning vixen that momentarily reminded Naruto of his mother: long red hair and a set of crisp aquamarine eyes. What was even more noticeable and surely appealing to such perverts outside was her incredible bust size, especially in comparison to her shorter compatriot.

Neither of them seemed threatening, in fact the crimson haired beauty was smiling. If it was not for the fact he had lived with a woman for his whole life, he might have passed it off as nothing. But he could tell that behind those eyes, menacing plans were being concocted. If their familiar energy was anything to go by, the suspicions they had of each other were right.

_Devils, the lot of them._

Interesting to see they had a similar idea of infiltrating the school to gather their pieces. No matter, as long as they did not approach him he would offer them the same courtesy. When another group of kids came around the corner to head for class, Naruto got up from the column he had been leaning against and disappeared with the crowd.

"Time to see what the 'school of the gifted' has to offer," Naruto said with disparaging smirk as he entered a classroom at random.

* * *

"Rias, what do you think about him?" Sona, the student council president, asked as the crowds began to fade for the first classes of the day.

The other devil's presence had been quite obvious, even before he had entered the school building. Lucky for him the humans could not feel such other worldly energy, otherwise he would have stuck out like a sore thumb. He must have been new to the human realm to make such a common mistake.

"Hm.." Rias hummed, leaning against the rail next to her friend. "I'm not sure who he is, but you could feel the energy inside, right?"

"Yes." Sona adjusted her glasses. "A king piece. Odd to find another one of us here."

"Is it really though?" Rias had a hard look on her face. "We can't be the only ones to see the value in this place. It was only a matter of time, really."

"I suppose so." Sona conceded. Her eyes flicked down the hall where Tsubaki, her vice president, approached. "Do you plan on meeting him?"

Rias paused for a moment to consider her answer. Then, she just shrugged and gave her old friend an assuring smile.

"I don't think so. He doesn't seem like a troublemaker, so I think I will take a 'wait and see' approach. With luck, he's just visiting."

The chances of a devil with such natural power "just visiting" their quaint little town were slim to none. Rias and Sona both had an obligation to keep the peace, and so of course the blonde's presence was a bit concerning. However, arranging a meeting out of the blue would only escalate the situation.

With time, new opportunities would arise to meet with the new Devil.

"Then, I'll leave first." Sona waved to her friend and passed her vice president, who bowed and followed her from behind.

Rias hesitated a moment longer, her eyes lingering on the hallway their new 'friend' had disappeared in. Her soft lips quirked as a bit of excitement came over her. Someone new to town was not always a bad thing. She hoped that if he were a friendly devil, they could make an acquaintance one day. For a Gremory, an acquaintance one day soon meant an ally the next.

And Rias Gremory was always looking to expand her family.

_See you later, Devil-kun._

* * *

Naruto slumped back into his apartment, feeling quite exhausted after the first day of classes. What a boring set of material the teachers had them go over. The things the other children were learning were something Naruto had been taught many years ago. Perhaps humans were not all that similar to devils after all.

To rest his body, he was thankful his mother had already prepared a dwelling of sorts in the human world. How she managed it, he had no idea, but the single bedroom flat would serve his needs well. The couch looked particularly inviting as he laid down on the dark cushions and felt his body sink into the material's creases.

Now that he had a moment to think, he replayed the day over in his head to try and see if anything in particular stood out. He was not expecting any humans to openly brandish their powers, but at the same time, he had hoped there would be some inkling of potential in the masses he had surveyed during his outing. Unfortunately, apart from the female devils, none of the people he had come into contact with made their hidden strengths obvious.

It seemed as though his objectives would take longer than he thought. For a moment, he even feared the other groups had gotten to the sacred gears before he had. But, if that were true, there would be little reason to stay in the town. Buried treasure must have remained then, and it was up to him to find it.

What little rumors he had heard pointed to the existence of at least one Sacred Gear in the city. Obviously, it had been identified, though its user was not described in any great detail. It was a variant of the Twice Critical, a relatively common dragon-type gear. Whether or not it had already been claimed was unclear, but Naruto had to bet all three factions were scrambling to get a hold of it.

If he kept an eye on those other devils, they might point him in the right direction. They could just as easily steer him wrong though, and until he met them, he could only assume they had no plans of helping him find his way.

Naruto sighed and reached for the coffee table in front of him. The remote was there, and he figured the best way to get in touch with humans was to immerse himself with their media. Somehow, he doubted the experience would be as enlightening as he had once hoped.

While the TV ran, his mind drifted back to his first day. At the school, while he observed his classmates, he had kept an eye on the adults as well. There was nothing stopping a sacred gear from remaining dormant until a human had reached that age. That authoritative position also gave them a perfect camouflage.

His homeroom teacher was particularly odd in that she seemed more interested in seducing her male students rather than teach them. In fact, her attention was on him the entire day. The other male classmates were not particularly happy about that, but Naruto had passed it off because he had posed as a new student. He did not need to be an expert to know her attitude and methods were very different than what was generally expected of an educational institution. She could have been someone, or something, of importance too.

"Those with power attract others with power." Naruto quoted his mother aloud.

The sound of humans speaking to one another somehow lulled Naruto to sleep as his body slumped further into the couch's embrace. Living on his own was not so bad after all.

* * *

In the dead of night, an explosion of energy rocked the landscape of the quiet town of Kuoh. More accurately, a sudden release of a large amount of ki. Any kind of supernatural creature would be sensitive to such a strike and surely feel it. Humans, however, would never notice such a thing had happened right in their own backyard.

That was what served to wake Naruto up from his nap as he almost rolled right off the couch. Holding his head in pain, he pushed himself off the ground and headed for the window. There was a chance he could pinpoint the origin of that energy if he moved quick. He could still feel it inside of him, churning his stomach inside out. It was not the kind of power anyone could harness; that kind of energy was reserved for very powerful, very rare individuals.

And the only reason they would have to release that much is if they were in the thick of a fight.

Unfortunately, whoever released that energy was completely off the radar now which should not have been possible. A release of energy like that was basically a beacon for someone to lock onto and follow. It should not have dissipated given that small amount of time. It could only mean that someone created a barrier to keep such emissions contained and hidden.

_Someone must be in real trouble for them to go that extent._

Dealing with someone with that kind of power was exactly what Naruto was looking for. Going alone was asking for trouble, but beggars could not be choosers. He had to buy into the pot at some point, and the jackpot was looking better and better the more that energy resonated inside of him.

"Let's see what we can find." Naruto opened the balcony door and revealed his pair of devil wings.

With a kickoff to get him started, he leaped from the apartment railing and into the sky above Kuoh. Many of the house lights were still on as the moon just began to crest as people began to settle in for the evening. Fortunately, the streets were practically empty so he did not have to worry about being seen.

The only problem was, he had no idea where the barrier might have been setup. If whoever built it was smart enough, they would not make it easily visible either. His best chance was to cover as much ground as fast as he could, and hope he ran into some sort of detectable magic presence.

_A release of ki like that has to leave behind some sort of residue._

A few minutes of flying later, and Naruto had turned up nothing. Much to his frustration, nothing in the town seemed out of the ordinary. The apparent skill these guys had to hide from him pissed Naruto off. When he found them, they were not going to get off easy.

As Naruto flew over the park, he felt the familiar tinge of magic manipulation in the back of his head. When he passed into the area, the light was bent around him and he could have sworn something pushed back against his body. Upon further inspection, he realized that his surroundings were imperfect replications of human trees, park benches, and other landscape touches that made the mark of an amateur.

"Jackpot," Naruto said, licking his lips in delight.

He flew up until he exited the barrier and deployed his own magical circle. The crest of Mammon was a crimson red color, with a familiar swirl in the middle that acted as the family seal. Using the circle as a focal point, Naruto pushed inward and forcefully pushed his way into whatever pocket dimension the people inside had created.

Naruto was not one for subtlety, needless to say.

The barrier itself began to crack under his pressure. Sparks flew as opposing magical forces met one another, but the glass-like dome quickly shattered under his attack. A rush of that same energy overwhelmed him as the container was destroyed, and he knew he had found the right place.

Now safe to enter, Naruto flew down toward the center of the park and landed on his two feet.

With one quick glance to take in the situation, Naruto realized he was stepping into a dangerous game. In front of him were six people, of varying shapes and sizes, surrounding another person whose energy matched that which was released before. The park itself was wrecked from one hell of a battle. Both sides had taken a momentary break when the barrier went down, and neither group seemed to know what to do about his entrance.

The one being accosted was a nine tailed fox, one of the Kyuubi Youkai. Her blood red tails that fanned out behind her human form outed her pretty easily. He knew a bit about the Kyuubi, as his mother told him that Naruto's father had been closely acquainted with one in the past. They were incredibly powerful creatures, but rarely were their kind ever found outside of Kyoto where they ruled the other Youkai species.

This particular Kyuubi, apart from a few scratches, looked no worse for wear despite the disadvantage she was in. The long hair that flowed down her back was colored the same as her enemy's blood: crimson and dark. She wore a battledress of some kind: a black bodysuit that covered from her thighs to her neck with matching boots and gloves.

Those beady red feline eyes targeted him, sizing him up. She must have assumed he was another enemy, considering her current problems. Lucky for her, he had no plans of attacking someone of her caliber.

Though, her opponents were nothing to laugh at either.

From what he could tell, they were an assortment of devils based on their wings. He could not recognize any of them, but that was of little surprise considering how widespread devils could be. They could have been from the Extra Demons, or perhaps they were strays. That would still not explain why they were targeting the Youkai, unless they wanted her energy. But why would they need something like that?

"Who the hell are you!?" One of the men shouted as Naruto finished analyzing the motley crew.

The six assailants all looked like they were going to have a prickly demeanor. Well, he found out their secret so it made sense, he supposed.

"How did he make it through the barrier?" Another one said, slightly worried.

It was a considerably elaborate shield, and he was very lucky to stumble onto it. However, if they were to imply the barrier was powerful enough to keep him out, then they would be sorely disappointed. His mother would have punished him severely if something like that had defeated his magic.

"Whatever, forget about him. Keep on the Kyuubi!" The first man turned his attention back to the nine tails and ice shards grew from his hands.

The devils slowly diverted their attention back to their original target, leaving Naruto alone. What a bunch of rude idiots, he thought. First they barely acknowledge him after he defeats their first class barrier, then they just forget about him in favor of the red head? That really _pissed _Naruto off.

"Oi, bastards!"

The vulgar language got them to turn around again.

The Kyuubi had readied a fireball in her hands, but hesitated to retaliate when Naruto shouted at the others. She had just made herself an ally of convenience.

Naruto sneered, his switch had been flipped. Whenever his adrenaline got pumping, things started to get a bit loopy for him. His control slipped, and he started to enjoy the blood lust inside of him.

"You got some balls, turning your back on me." Naruto's hands soon became fists as he fought to control his instincts. "Let's see what you guys can do."

A magical circle appeared under Naruto's feet, not unlike the one he created before.

"Wha-" The apparent leader that had chosen to ignore him was only able to mutter a word before Naruto's fist appeared between his eyes.

An instantaneous teleport, courtesy of Naruto's father. That magic was something he was nowhere close to perfecting, but using it as the opener always let Naruto get the drop on his opponents. The punch caught the devil off guard and sent him flying off into a nearby tree, splitting it in two.

Naruto did not give the others time to rest as he sent his leg flying out, knocking another one over and forcing the rest to use their wings to fly away. With a free hand, he developed a fireball of his own and threw it at the downed devil, smirking in satisfaction as they suffered a direct hit.

The other four did nothing to help their comrades, but they were not intimidated by Naruto's show of force. More magical circles appeared, and a torrent of energy was launched at him. Too fast for him to dodge, Naruto was forced to create a circle of protection to stave off the attack. The attack slammed into Naruto's defense, and a battle of wills commenced. The energy was too overwhelming and his defense too thin as he struggled to hold the barrier.

Then, he felt himself be roughly pushed out of the way and onto the ground. Naruto looked up to see the Kyuubi standing in front of him, a multitude of fireballs floating above her hands and each tail. She unleashed the torrent of attacks that forced the remaining devils to dodge, which they did by the skin of their teeth.

"Stay out of my way, boy," she said with a low growl attached.

Getting saved by the person you were supposed to be rescuing did not feel particularly good. He could only watch as she dashed forward at an incredible speed and used her tails to launch herself into the air and right into the devil formation. With just a single punch, she was able to break one's magical defense and send them hurtling into the ground. Such strength was not focused solely on her human form, as her tails not only blocked attacks but acted as whips that randomly spat out at any of the devils foolish enough to get close.

Naruto dusted himself off and hesitated to leap back into the fight. He would probably just get in the woman's way, or worse get himself attacked. He still wanted to get in on the action and decided to grab the leader he knocked out before to see if he could make them talk.

He approached the tree that had since toppled over from the impact, but he was welcomed by the sight of nothing. No body was left on the ground, and he was sure his attack was enough to easily knock him out. When he turned to look for the other one he hit with a fireball, he noticed the two he thought he had downed were creating another magical circle together.

Before he could stop them, an army of chains were unleashed from the depths of wherever the magical circle led to. They quickly found and latched onto the Kyuubi, ensnaring themselves around her body like a bad weed. Her scream of pain echoed as spikes dug into her skin, and he could feel the energy as it seeped from her body-the chains absorbing it all.

The chains forced Kyuubi down to her knees as the others joined in with their own restraints. So, they really were after her energy. That still did not make their mission any more transparent. What was their objective? What could they use that energy for?

Whatever it was, it could not be good. The nine tails would die at this rate if he did not do something.

_Do I have to use...that?_

The magic taught to him by his mother, he had hoped to save it for a special occasion. This might have been a good time as any to unleash it. Naruto bit his lip with indecision. No, he would find another way; it was not time to reveal his trump card yet.

"I told you guys..." Naruto gathered up more fire in his hands, scowling at the event unfolding in front of him. "Not to ignore me!"

He threw two fireballs into their midst and used his wings to accelerate forward. Unable to break their concentration, the devils were unable to dodge and took the fireball attack in full. Two collapsed, but the others were committed to capturing the rest of the energy.

Not one to disappoint, Naruto kept up the attack and found himself right in the middle of their group. He sent a powerful kick into one's stomach before he slammed his fist into another's face. As they fell one by one, their chains receded and disappeared and freed parts of Kyuubi's body.

With a roar, she shook of the rest of the chains and leaped back a few paces. Unable to stand, she knelt down and focused her powers on the wounds. Her skin began to fizzle and smoke as the wounds started to heal, albeit slowly. It was obvious her stamina was just about out, and he doubted he could count on her help to finish the fight against the last two.

The last of the devils finally gave up their attempt to capture Kyuubi and returned to their elemental magic. They clearly were not pleased with his incessant meddling and were about ready to finish him off. The time for playing around was gone.

A series of ice shards and lightning bolts began to rain from the sky and landed around him, forcing Naruto to dodge. His expertise with fire magic was nowhere near the level it needed to be if he wanted to stand toe to toe with their elemental attacks, but then inspiration struck. Fire magic was not _his _expertise, but the Kyuubi were well known for their fox fire.

Naruto used his wings to get him back to where Kyuubi was resting. It was time for a tag team attack!

Kyuubi angled her eyes up from her kneeling position as the blonde devil landed next to her. He held out his hand for her to take.

"Hey, I can't finish these guys off myself. Mind helping out?"

Kyuubi hesitated to take his offered hand. She did not want to seem weak, even in her current predicament.

"What makes you think I'd help you?" Naruto developed a lopsided grin in response to her resistance.

"Because, we'll probably die if you don't." With that deadpan comment, she could not help but agree.

"...Very well." She took his hand, reluctantly enough. Clearly she was not a fan of his help, but they were in more than a bit of trouble.

Pride could take a backseat to survival.

Naruto was expecting her to funnel some energy into his fireball like anyone else. He was taken aback when she disappeared into a blinding white light after their fingers touched. He could feel her energy surge through his arm and into his chest. No one had ever told him Youkai could inhabit bodies like that.

"_**A bit stuffy in here."**_

_Oi, why the hell are you inside me?!_

He heard another growl of what he could only guess was annoyance at his obvious question.

"_**This is the fastest way to share my power. Let's get this over with."**_

Better not to argue with the lady and get the show on the road. The other two devils had temporarily stopped in surprise by Kyuubi's merger with him, but they were back on the warpath. A large ice shard the size of a car was headed straight for him, so Naruto started to conjure up another fireball to meet it.

As he built the fire, he could feel a bit of Kyuubi's warmth enter it. What was originally a reddish orange ball of fire became a white-blue mess of heat that he could barely contain in his hand. The kind of power he wielded now almost went to his head as the adrenaline came to an all time high.

_This ought to get them good._

"_**Hurry it up!"**_

"At your service!" He threw the ball of fire at the enemy devils and watched as it easily melted the ice in its path.

The attack was too fast and far too strong to block. Their enemies did not even have time to scream as their bodies were destroyed. Naruto doubted if any ashes would remain after such an intense heat.

With the battle over, the inhabitant inside of him grew agitated of their shared existence. Kyuubi reemerged from his chest, illuminated in light again. Naruto grasped his chest in shock; the feeling of her moving in and out so suddenly was really uncomfortable.

Naruto did not need to be a doctor to realize her wounds had gotten worse since he last saw her. The burns were taking too long to heal, but he assumed it was due to her exhaustion.

"Hey, you alright?" he asked, reaching out to check her wounds.

The nine tails slapped his hand away, suddenly becoming very protective. She still did not trust him, even after all of that. Fair enough, but that slap was still super strength enhanced and hurt like something else.

As he nursed his hand, Kyuubi collapsed to her knees. Naruto rushed to her side as he realized the chains took more than just her energy. What did they do to her?

"Ugh! Damn them...those chains, stole my energy." Kyuubi's breathing was irregular and her speech came out in labored pants.

"Hey, hang in there!" Naruto wrapped an arm around her shoulders to try and steady her.

Unfortunately, he knew no magic that could help speed up her healing process. Even if he did, the dark magic those guys were using was something he could only assume no normal medicine could heal.

The only thing he could think of was to use his evil piece, but that would bring her back as part devil. Knowing the pride of a Youkai, and a full blooded Kyuubi to boot meant that she would not be a fan of such an idea. But, they were running out of options.

"Hey, I think I have an idea of how to help. You probably aren't going to like it though."

"Sh-shut up, devil. I..do not need..your help." Her words were harsh, but she did not even have the energy to push him away.

"Come on, at least listen to what I have to say." When she failed to respond, he took it as an invitation to continue. "I have something that can bring you back to full strength, but it's going to turn you into a half devil."

Just the thought of it instantly made Kyuubi cringe, but she remained silent. Hopeful, Naruto continued with his pitch in hopes she would accept. If nothing else, it would save her life.

"The other part of the deal is that if you accept, you are going to become a part of my family. You don't have to serve me or anything, but we will be partners. It might not be the best situation, but at least you'll be alive. And..."

Naruto hiked a thumb over his shoulder, toward where the devil remains were.

"I'm going to guess they aren't the last ones to show up trying to get your power. I can protect you more than if you were to go on your own. How about it?"

The poison inside of her had taken most of Kyuubi's energy, making it difficult for her to speak. Her features remained stiff as she thought over the offer that was clearly not to her liking. Naruto always believed choice was important, but for Kyuubi, either way she was going to get the short end of the straw.

He would rather not watch her die though, so when she gave him the slightest of nods, his smile brightened. From within his chest, he beckoned the mutation piece to come forward and held it in his palm. With his king ability, he could sense how many pieces Kyuubi would be worth. Lucky for him, a mutation piece could be used on someone for any position, regardless of how many pieces they were worth.

Eleven pieces. His eyes lit up as if he had found the buried treasure of a long dead pirate. Coming to Kuoh was not such a bad idea then, if he found a powerful vixen such as this. Not to mention, she was quite beautiful to boot.

Kyuubi groaned in pain, shaking him from his reverie. Without anymore time wasted, he inserted the piece into her chest and watched as the slow sizzle of the wounds turned bright red under the healing process. Apart from a small moan or two from pain, Kyuubi took the transformation well.

The speed with which she recovered was astounding. In under a minute, the fox was already getting up onto her own two feet without his help.

She shook with energy and could not help but move her body to get used to the tingling sensation. Kyuubi had her arms out in front of her, stretching and bending the joints. The devil power flowing within her offered amazing rejuvenation properties for those who were newly reborn. He figured it would take some getting used to.

"Not bad." Was her simple appraisement. She was less enthused when she found the bat wings on her back, but it was a small sacrifice for not being dead.

"Welcome back," Naruto said with a friendly thumbs up.

Kyuubi scowled, unamused by his little joke. She crossed her arms and seemed to wait, impatiently, for him to say something.

"So, what am I supposed to do? Do not expect me to bow or call upon you with honorifics. You have not earned it." From the get go he could tell she was a very severe person who put a lot of weight on her pride.

They had a rocky start ahead of them.

"Hey, I'm not trying to make you a slave or anything. Like I said, we're partners." He shrugged. Maybe she was educated enough to know about the devil system? It was worth a shot.

"I don't know if you have heard about the evil piece system, but I have something called the king piece. The most powerful partner and member of the family is the queen piece, which is what I made you."

Kyuubi's eyes lit up upon hearing that she was considered a 'queen', though it should not have been all that new to her. Considering her position in the Youkai, she was like royalty anyway. Still, that bit of interest he hoped was enough to keep her from arguing against it.

"So, Queen-san, what would you like me to call you? Do you have a name?" He gave her a cheeky smile as he leaned in close to tease her.

Kyuubi pushed him away, quite forcefully. His usual attitude did not seem to mesh well with her serious personality.

"You have not earned the right to know my name, let alone call me by it." There was a pause as she struggled to come up with an adequate response. "For now, Kyuubi will suffice."

"Hmph. Okay, Kyuubi. You can call me Naruto." There was an awkward moment after the introductions where they only stared at each other.

When Kyuubi began to tap her foot and dangerously narrow her eyes, he realized that she again was waiting for him. Somehow, the thought of her waiting for him to take the lead was a bit endearing. Then he was reminded how easily annoyed she got, and he realized that she was struggling with every ounce of her being not to bark out an order to him.

"Come on, we better get back to my place and rest. I can fill you in on my plans tomorrow."

Kyuubi shrugged and followed behind him without another bit of interaction. The silence was uncomfortable, but Naruto had to remember the entire situation was pretty foreign to her. The idea that he had just gotten a queen, and a powerful one at that, had not completely sunk in with his mind either.

And so, the two partners left the battlefield of the park. Despite it being their first meeting place, both were eager to leave it behind.

* * *

"Rias, they've gone. Shall we follow?" Akeno reported, still in her miko shrine outfit.

Rias and the rest of her peerage hid within the trees of the park. They had come in the middle of the battle and had expected to take part, but were pleasantly surprised to see the new devil and his nine tailed friend finish the interlopers off.

"No, that won't be necessary. They have dealt with enough trouble for the night, I'd say."

Despite the battle being resolved, Rias was not smiling. She would have to report such an incident to her brother and Sona to determine just what those devils were doing out here, in the human realm. Not only that, but hunting a Kyuubi of the ruling clan?

The only saving grace was that the devils were not affiliated with any of the 72 pillars, and so she could only assume they were strays. However, they were quite well organized for a bunch of random servants, so she wondered if they could really be extra devils.

Her curiosity did not end there. Who was that blonde devil? What was his clan? What were his intentions? Whatever he wanted could not be so innocent to pass up a wounded Kyuubi as he brought her into his peerage. She would not forgive him if he caused trouble in her territory, so she would need to keep a close eye on him.

_That magical circle...and that crest. Who is this Naruto?_

Indeed, she had many questions for her dear brother that night.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Highschool DxD.**


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